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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bear — the animal
  3. chair — a leader
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. court — of law
  7. craft — boats
  8. drill — the tool
  9. staff — a stick
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. stand — to bear
  12. drill — a practice
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. staff — employees
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. bear — the animal
  20. court — for sport
  21. drill — army training
  22. craft — a skill
  23. perch — the fish
  24. court — of a king

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com